Chicago & North-Western Railway Paint Information
Reference / Historic Railroad Paint Color Index
Freight Cars
1881
Cabooses painted bright vermillion.
The National Car Builder, July 1881, pg. 78
1898
Special stock cars painted white
The Indianapolis Journal (Indianapolis, IN), 29 June 1898
1903
All freight cars are repainted to a standard "red color."
Wood County Reporter (Grand Rapids, WI), 31 July 1903
Passenger Equipment
1881
Palace dining cars painted dark wine with "gilt tracery and ornamental designs representing storks, passion-flowers, cornucopias, etc."
The National Car Builder, July 1881, pg. 84
1883
Coaches painted lemon color with ultramarine blue letter boards under each window. Lettered in gold with red shading, except for the car number which was painted ultramarine at the center of the car.
The National Car Builder January 1883 pg. 6
1892
Heath & Milligan Manufacturing Company offered a "C&NW Car Body Color" in their standard railroad paint line that appears as a yellow-orange, although no indication was provided on what cars C&NW used it on.
Heath & Milligan Manufacturing Co. advertisement, The Official Railway List, 1892
1902
Coaches painted yellow.
The Frontier (O’Neill, NE), 18 December 1902